The number of people unemployed has unexpectedly risen by 38,000 to 2.49m, official figures out this morning show.
The Office for National Statistics said those made redundant between April and June 2011 had mainly been female,
The figures mean the highest number of women are out of work since 1998. Chief economist at the thinktank IPPR Tony Dolphin said: “Women have been hit hardest and have suffered disproportionately badly in this latest rise of unemployment”.
Job vacancies are also at their lowest since three months to November 2009.
Speaking on Sky News immediately after the figures were announced, employment minister Chris Grayling said the government were dealing with an "extremely" difficult economic climate.
"We saw the figures in Germany yesterday, we saw the figures in France. What this underlines to me is the need for us to really drive on with our policy of supporting growth in the private sector. That is why I think today’s announcement about Enterprise Zones is so important.
"We are dealing with an extremely difficult set of economic circumstances. This government has inherited some of the most difficult economic times as well as a huge debt problem on a scale that few governments have ever dealt with before."
Benefit claimants also increased by 37,100 from June to 1.56million and youth unemployment was up by 0.2%.